1917—1918

TELEGRAM TO I. V. STALIN
30 June 1918
Secret
To Commissar Stalin
Tsaritsyn

Today, 30 June, a message was received from Ioffe from Berlin, 
stating that Kühlmann had a preliminary conversation with Ioffe. 
From this conversation it is evident that the Germans are willing 
to compel the Turks to cease military operations beyond the Brest 
frontier, having established for us an exact demarcation line. They 
promise not to allow the Turks into Baku, but wish to receive oil. 
Ioffe replied that we shall strictly adhere to Brest, but are entirely 
in agreement with the principle of giving in order to receive. Pay 
the closest attention to this message and endeavor to transmit it 
to Shaumyan as quickly as possible, for there are now serious chances 
of holding Baku. We shall of course give part of the oil.

Lenin

Printed from the telegraph form

1 Kühlmann, R. — held the post of State Secretary for Foreign Affairs 
of Germany.

DRAFT OF AN AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE SUPREME COUNCIL 
OF THE NATIONAL ECONOMY AND THE COMMISSARIAT 
OF TRADE AND INDUSTRY ON THE CONDITIONS 
OF COMMODITY EXCHANGE BETWEEN TOWN AND COUNTRY
[May—June 1918]

Agreement with the Supreme Council of the National Economy 
and the Commissariat of Trade and Industry.

Commodities are handed over not to individual persons, but to 
district, village, or other peasant unions, on the obligatory condition 
of complete predominance of the poor peasants in such unions.

Commodities are handed over in exchange for grain on the condition 
of contributing 25% of the sum in commodities and receiving grain 
in an amount equal to the entire surplus above local consumption.

Organization of the poor peasantry for systematic and unflinching 
collection of high one-time levies from the monetary reserves of 
the peasant bourgeoisie.

(Itemization:
1 million farmsteads at 1,000 rubles each.

LENIN COLLECTED WORKS

Dispatch of armed detachments to the countryside for collection 
of the aforesaid levies and for complete breaking of the resistance 
of the village bourgeoisie.

Take from supply depots.

Publish at least preliminary results of the Food Ministry by 25.X.1917.

Apparatus: Congress of Food Agents? Moscow Regional Apparatus...

(25 persons on our side; 2,000 on theirs).

LETTER TO A. A. IOFFE
1. VII. 1918

Dear Comrade Ioffe!

I am angry at you, to tell the truth, to the extreme. There are 
few people, everyone is worked to exhaustion, and yet you arrange 
such a thing: you write much business matter in a personal letter to 
me (the last one, in pencil) and insert a series of personal attacks, 
outbursts, barbs, and so forth against Chicherin ("not a real" minister, 
and the like). Yet to Chicherin you write: "perspectives in a letter to 
Lenin."

What in the devil is this?!

Of course, Chicherin asks me for the letter, and I cannot show it, 
not wishing to be an instrument of intrigue. The result is damage to 
the work and damage to relations.

Chicherin is an excellent worker, most conscientious, intelligent, 
and knowledgeable. Such people must be valued. That his weakness 
is a lack of "commanding ability" is no great matter. How many 
people in the world have the opposite weakness!

It is possible to work with Chicherin, work proceeds easily, but 
even with him the work can be damaged.

You find fault with him, but the Commissariat of Foreign Affairs 
has the right to complain about you as well, since you do not reckon 
with it, and without the knowledge and permission of the Commissar 
of Foreign Affairs, diplomats certainly have no right to take decisive 
steps.

I hope you will take all measures to eliminate these deficiencies.